Typographical slug-casting machine



Aug. 9, 1932. G, E, MARLATT V 1,871,330

TYPOGRAPHICAL SLUG CASTING MACHINE Filed June 8, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 D INVENToR,

mgl www Aug. 9, 1932. i G. E. MARLATT TYPOGRHICAL SLUGrA CASTING MACHINE Filed June 8. 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 9, 1932.

G. E; lMARLATT TYPOGRAPHIQAL SLUG CASTING MACHINE Filed June 8, 1931 -3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Aug. 9, 1932Y Nirre i sr GEORGE E.; MARLATT, or riisAnnNA, CALIFORNIA i v'JIYE'OGrRAIPI-IICAL` SLUG-CASTING MACHINE Y i Application led JuneS, 1931. Serial 1\To.f5 42,798.l

In typographical slug-casting machines of the kind to which this invention relates, the

slugs are cast in a mold which is commonly.

made adjustable to produce'slugs ofdiifer ont lengths and thickness. rlhe slugs are forced from the mold and thence between a pair of trimming knives in advance of an ejector blade. Having passed the trimming knives, the slugs are further advanced by the ejector blade to a position from which they slide by gravity through a chute to a receiving galley. AThe improvements to be described are directed to a better control of the slugs after they have'passed the trimming knives and after they are beyond control of the ejector blade. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a right-hand perspective view of a portion of a typographical slug-casting machine of the linotype class, having the present invention applied thereto, the parts thereof being shown in inactive position;

Fig. lshows in left-hand perspective that part of the spacer-driver mechanism immediately associated with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view similar to a portion of Fig. l, with the parts in the podelivered to the galley in which the slugs are accumulated, and showing a slug in front of the slug-ejector blade and about to pass beyond control of the blade;

Fig. 3 shows in perspective a slug of recessed type in position for comparison with the slug of solid type shown in Fig. 2;

sitions they occupy just before a slugV is` Fig. L shows in side elevation a slug-guid-` ing plate as reversed from its position in Fig. 2 and elsewhere, and as redesignedV for present purposes; Y

Fig. 5 shows in horizontal cross-section the slug-guiding plate of Fig. 4 inits relation to the slug-trimming `knives and the fixed or left-hand wall of the slug channel; Fig. 6 is a perspective view Ashowing' the manner in which the movable slugtrimming knife and the movable slug-delivery-chute wall are commonly interconnected for adjustinent in unison as controlled by the handle appearingV at the right of Fig. l 5 this view also shows the manner of dividingthe lslug- .'receiving galley to receive short slugs kin connection with the present improvements; it shows also a modification of a portion of the present invention;

Fig. 7 is an exploded'view showing certain parts appearing in Fig. 6and the manner of their assembly.;

Fig. 7TL shows the construction of certain parts appearing in Figs. 6 and 7 Fig. 8 is a side elevation showing in dotted' lines successive positions of a slug being delivered from the casting mold to the slugdelivery chute leading to the slug-accumulating galley, and, in fullflines, illustrates a slug in abnormal position in connection with prior-art construction; Fig. 9 shows a slug of the Vrecessed type, in position for comparison with the slug of different type' appearing in Fig. 8;

Y Fig. 10 is a left-hand perspective view of the galley supporting bracket shown in righthand perspective in the principal views of the drawings, Villustrating its special con struction in connection with the present improvements;

Fig. l1 is a perspective view with the parts in the positions they occupy after a slug has been delivered to the galley; this view also shows a modified form of a feature of the present invention; Y I

Fig. l2 is a perspective view of a portion of the slug-accumulating galley with the galley-'dividing bar applied as in Fig. 6 but with the parts in the positions they occupy whenl V85 the galley is lled with slugs. 1 e

In the drawings well-known elements are identified by reference letters as follows: the liners A, B between which the slugs are cast; the ejector blades C; theleft-hand or fixed slug-trimming knife D; the right-handV or adjustable trimming knife E; the 'slug-supporting floor F; the'left-hand or fixed wall Gr of the slug-delivery channel; ythe right hand or adjustable wall of the slug-deliv- 95 ery channel, hereinafter called the spring plate or spring-pressed plate; the spring l which controls saidspring plate; the floor J of the slug-delivery chute; the left-hand or fixed wall K of said chute; the right-hand or adjustable wall L of said chute; the slide,- block M which interconnects the adjustable wall (L) with the adjustableknife for unitary movement; the knife-block handle N which controls the adjustment of said knife and said wall through said slide (M) the slug-accumulating galley O; the friction-slide P on said galley; the left-hand bracket Q on which the galley rests the right' hand bracket R- on which' the galley rests and which also forms the left-hand wal1\l) and 'floor support of the slug-delivery chute; the slug-accumulating lever or slug lever S; the slide-rod T through which the slug lever is actuated in right-hand direction the slug-lever roll a which actuates the slide (T), the justification or spacer driving rod e,

the driving block c' thereon, and the justification-rod lever o; the spring U which actuates the slug lever in left-hand direction; the machine frame V known as the vice frame, which forms the left-hand wall of the slug-delivery channel, supports the galley brackets (Q-It) the slug lever (S), its actuating rod (T), the slug-delivery-channel floor (F), the

slug-trimming knives (D-E), the knife block W as a whole, and the matrix transporter or well-known first-elevator Z of linotypeV Sam@ PIII'POSQS.

In theprior-art construction, one diHiculty arises from the fact that Wh ile the slugsy X-`Y (Fig. 8). may be varied in length by half-ems of measurement, the ejector blades C vary only by two-em measurements, the result being that the slugs must at times be ejected and advanced by a blade which is as much as one and one-half,l ems shorter than the slug; in fact, the slugs in all lengths are somewhat shorter than the accompanying ejector blade, due to points 1 of vthe mold-l liners A-B projecting into the mold castingslot. AIn order that the slugs may be trimmed to accurate thicknesses, they are cast with ribs 3 spaced two ems or one-third of an inch apart on one of their sid-es, and if the slug is of such length that the final rib thereon is beyond reach of the longest blade which may beused in connection with the slug, the linal Y rib will act as a fulcrum and cause the slug to turn and take on abnormal, angular position in front of the ejector blade. This results from the fact that the slugs must bel resisted in their advance between a wall G on their smooth side and a spring-pressed resistance plateH1 (Fig. 8) ontheir ribbed side, in order that they will not tumble for- 7 ward and will be held accurately in front of the ejector blade while being moved `in adva-nce thereof on the floor F of the slug-delivery channel. In the case of short slugs especially, the usual spring plate H1 exerts more pressure on the final rib than on the other ribs of the slug, due to the fact that the plate is loosely hinged to the adjustable knife E andto the fact that the plate spring I is centrally banked with its two ends pressing against the plate. The p late'will therefore tilt on the last rib of'slugs which are lessthan half'ofmaximum length, and will do `so on longerslugs such asillustrated in'Fi'g. 8 if the upper half of the spring is stronger than itisjlower half, orif the plate hinges 2 are not accurately fitted, or if theplate iswarped.

`Ilencefro-m one Ycause or another, ,or from a combinationof causes, slugs which have a rib (Sin Fig. 8) beyond the reach of the longest ejector blade permissible in use therewith are liable to turn to the position of the slug shown in full lines in Fig. 8, and when this occurs the slug either remains suspended between the springplate I andits opposing wall G or it may be improperly delivered to the chute floor J instead of being properly delivered as indicatedin dotted lines in Fig. 8. As a remedy for this improper behavior of the slugs, I provide the spring plate H with clearances for the ribs on the slugs. These clearancesmay extend either entirely or part way across the spring plate as grooves 4. In Figs.

Y 4 and 5 they are shown as grooves 4 of receding depth since an increasing clearance 37 beyond the trimming edges of the knives D, E results in a sidewise freedom of the slugs at the point where the spring plate I meetsthe trimming` knife E, ,so that nothing would be gained by extending the grooves 4 to the rear edge of the plate and the plate will be less liable to warp if the grooves are tapered and shortened as shown. At their forward ends thegrooves 4 are cut through the plate as notches 5 so that individual resultant tongues G may be bent vto relieve the pressure on the final rib of slugs Y (Fig. 3) of the recessed type 0n which the ribs are variouslyv spaced apart. For example, in Fig.f9 the final rib 7 does not correspond in position with any rib on the solid type of slug X on which all the ribs except the first one occur in half-em positions, followingeven--em positions on the slug, while on the recessed slugs illustrated a rib occurs in the ll/Z-em position. On the recessed slugs the ribs are usually broader than are those on the'solid slugs, and it is therefore a matter of choice whether the grooves 4 in theplate I shall `be made wide enough to also accommodate the ribs on recessed slugs. It will be seen, however, that in the case of all slugs having ribs'intended to enter the grooves 4, the slugswill be locked in proper position by reason of the ribs 4r('betweenthe plate grooves entering between the ribs 3 on the slugs, and in addition', since the llO space between the ribs on the slugs is much wider than the ribs 3 themselves, the plate ribs 7 and tongues 6 are less liable than rthe narrow ribs on the slugs to act as fulcrum surfaces causing impro-per turning of the slugs; also, the body of the slugs between theribs 3 is more uniformly accurate than are the ribs 3, since accuracy of the ribs 3 is dependent on the degree of accuracy with which the trimming knivesare sharpened and adjusted; for example, if the right-hand trimming knife is not accurately ground, certain ribs will be thicker than others and only the thick ribs will touch thefrietion plate, so that a thin rib which happens to be the last one covered by the ejector blade will have -no effect to relieve the pressure on a thick ribr which is beyond the reach of the ejector` lad However, the slight discrepancy between thick and thin ribs will not prevent both from co-operating with the Vgrooves l to prevent turning of the slugs. Y

If properly controlled asprovided forbythe afore described improvement, the'slugs will move forward Von the horizontal door F and will drop precipitously therefrom to the position illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 8, and be turned on the chute floor J from their horizontal position to the face-up position i they occupy in the gallery O. But in order that the slugs may thus move from the chutel door J it is necessary vthat the floor J be kept polished and lubricated, since it becomes coated with lead from the repeated dropping of the slugs thereon and esneciallv so at D 3 L o the upper portion thereof which receves the impact of the slugs. l-leretofore it has been customary to polish the chute floor manually, the floor being removable for the purpose. Since this must sometimes be done several times daily for best results and since the y leaded condition continues until polishing becomes imperative, it is a source of considerable annoyance to keyboard operators.V I therefore provide'for lubricating the chute floor J with ease and without removal, and for doing so automatically, ifdesired, each time a slug is delivered. For this purpose the slanted portion of the left-hand or tired chute wall K is separated from the chute floor support R, leaving a space 8 (Fig. 10) beneath the wall to accommodate the floor strip J, which is widened accordingly. rlhe floor strip is also widened to the right and a por-- tion 9 thereof is bent downwardly and pro'- vided with openings to engage slide pins 10 secured in the galley bracket'l. Behind the depending port-ion 9 the Vbracketlflhas a bore 11 to accommodate a spring 12 whichforcesA the floor strip outwardly when permitted to` do so. For automatic actuation of the floor strip, the slugeaccumulating leverS is provided with a hinged linger 18 which may be thrown into position to engage the licor strip and force it to the left against resistance ef to the left by its spring U. When the slug4 lever retreats as controlled in usual, manner throught-he slide-rod T, the spring 12 forces the licor .strip to the right (Fig. 2), the eX- tent of its movement being determined by the expanded length of the spring 12, which. holds the floor strip in its lubricated position except whenv it is forcedto the left either as described or manually. To prevent unnecessary lubrication, the hinged linger 13 lmay be thrown back asshown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and the floor stripmay then be actuatedv manuallyV if conditions are such that only very occasional lubrication is required. For the purpose of supplying the lubricant, the chute wall K has a longitudinal opening le which may be packed with a lubricaiit-satu rated material, such as felt, resting on or pressing against the floor strip J. f Each time the floorl strip is moved to the left as described, that portion thereof which is the. path for the slugs will be forced beneath the lubrication chamber 14 and will be returned in a lubricated condition by the spring 12.

A modified construction for imparting movement from the slug lever to the chute floor J is shown in Fig. 6. This construction has the advantage that it does not involve any change in the usual slug lever S1. The bracket Ris provided with a lug 15 as a b-earing for the angular end 16 of an endpivoted lever 17 the central portion 18 of Ywhich bears against the depending portion 9 of the chute noord, the spring 12 being employed as afore described. rlhe free end of the lever 17 is bent to an angle 19 on which is mounted a dog 20 having a depending portion 21 fitting behind' the lever 17 when the device is in use, thus renderingthe lever 17an'd dog 2O in effect one continuous lever to be acted upon at its forward end by the slug lever S1 when the slug lever moves to 'the left. The device is' thrown out of use by raising the dog 20 on its bearing 19 and then dropping it with its depending portion 21 in front of the lever 17, so that when the dog is contacted bythe slug lever it will not be eective to move the flooractuating lever 17. i

Afinetherniodilied forni ofthe chute-floor lubricating means isV illustrated in Fig. 11.

in this const action the left-hand chute wall f 38 has the lubrication chamber 14 as before described, but that portion of the chute wall which covers the floor strip J1 is rendered movable relative to the floor strip, the stripv held in ,tired position as vby means of thereto a head le between wlr.

-ket R. The upper slide-nin ll() has lined Y `h and the lugV 42 is interposed' a spring-d5 which serves tohold the wall 38 in its normalposition against,

nge-pin 39, be explained. Slide pins' the' lugs 42443. If thespring is compressed,

as by `pressing on the head 44, the wall 38 is thereby caused to move overthe surface of the plate J1 and thus lubrioate this .floor of the chute. A slide rod 46 bears in the bracket R and has aV return bend 47 which engages the head 44. The forward end ofthe rod 46 is threaded and carries a nut 48 which may be adjusted to engage or disengage the forked end of a centrally-pivotedlever49 the lower end of which rests behind the slug lever S1. In the drawings the device is shown inoperative by reasonv of the nut 48 being adjusted away from the lever 49. If the nut be adjusted until resisted by the lever 49 as stopped against the slug lever, any additional turning of the nut will then drawthe rod 46 to the right, -.compressing the spring and moving the wall 38 to its lubricating position. With the parts in such position, movement of the slug lever to the right to permit entry of a slug, will free the centi'ally-pivoted lever 49 and the spring 45 will force the wall 38 to normalposition, le, ving the Hoor J1 lubricated and -permitting the entry of the following slug. The rod 46 and head 44 may be disengaged by moving these members in relatively opposite directions, to the left and right respectively, and when so disengaged, if the movable wall 38 be forced to the right to clear the fixed wall K, incidentally clearing the lower slide pin 41 from its bearingV 43,'the movable wall may then be turned upwardly, thus providing access to thevwhole surface of the chute floor J1 for thorough cleaning and polishing. p v The slug having been turned from the verticalposition by the slope of the chute, it

` slidesinto the galley O where, together with 4Q? the accumulated slugs X, it ispushed to the left by the slug-lever S, thus providing room for a following slug to slide into the galley. The Vaforementioned spring U serves to pull the slug lever VS to the left, and the power means (Fig. la) acting against the slide-rod T forces the lever to theright following each slug delivery, all in well known manner. Since the slugs vary in thickness, length and weight, the result has beenthat the slope of the galley O proves ideal for the delivery of only certain slugs, heavy slugs arriving in their stopped position with unnecessary force while lighter slugs frequently fail to slide to their final position. To partially check the momentum of heavy slugs, it is customary to slant the face of the slug lever so that it is not quite parallel kwith the friction slide P which serves as a retaining wall forthe slugs. The result has been thatsince only the lower end of the face of the slug lever is depended upon to Vmove the slugs to theleft, the slugs may remain parallel with the slanted face 22 of'tlielever instead of being delivered parallel with'the face 23 of the retaining wall, and will therefore frequently remain in aposition interferingwith the movement of a following Vslug into the galley. A'slug in such interfering position is shown 1n Vvdotted lines in 'Fig. 2.' Such a condition becomes a source of annoyance to the keyboard operator,sinceit interferes seriously with the production of slugs. To remedy the defect, I provide the slug 'lever Vwith a movable face plate'24 which automatically adjusts itself to increased or decreased'steepness according to the thickness of the slugs being produced,I and which will also adjust itself parallel with the retaining wall 23 each time a yslug is moved forward in thegalley. This face plate 24 is wedge shaped to provide a normal slant which may be somewhat greater than the slant of the usual face 22 aforedescribed.

Near its lower end the movable-face memberV is provided with a shoulder 25 which serves as a fulcruin point about which the member may rock to vary its angularity. A spring 26 engages the movable member just above the fulcrum point and similarly engages the slug lever S at its upper end, being heldin tension bymeans of a tension pin 27. This spring will atall* times hold the shoulder 25 against the slug lever, and when the slug lever' is in normal position (Fig. l) or between advanced and retracted positions, the spring will hold the movable member against the fixed face 22 of the sluglever throughout the length of the contacting face thereof. To prevent the member 24 from working down on the angular end of the spring 26, it is provided with a stud 35 (Fig. 7 )V midway of the depth of its shoulder 2.5, and the usual face 24 of the slug lever has a recess 36 Y (Figf 6) in which the stud may move freelyv with the member 24 but will prevent the member from working down on the spring or from working up and carrying the spring with it.

As thus constructed, the device may be read-v ily applied to machines outstanding in coininercial use. The right-hand wall L of the slug-delivery chute and the right-hand slugtrimming knife E Vare interconnected by means of aslide block M (Fig. 6), rendering these members adjustable in unison according to the thickness of the slugs being produced. In the form of construction selected for illustrationthis adjustment is made by means of a handle N (Fig. l), movement of which from one to another position will vary. the space between the trimming knives and `between the walls K-L of the chute. The movable face 24 of the slug lever is made to overreach `the end of the chute wall L, so that when the slug lever is retracted (Fig. 2) the member 24 will contact and be stopped against the wall L, thus decreasing the slant of the movable face 24 an eXtreme amount when thinslugs are being produced, and in-l its shoulder and take a positionparallel fil? of maximum thickness,themovable face `will contact the adjustable wall without being rocked, thus providing a maximum slant to check the momentum of the heaviest slugs. In Fig. 2 this extreme adjustment lis shown in dotted lines. Since the slug-lever S moves a xed distance in both directions regard# less of the varying thicknesses of slugs, the result heretofore hasbeenthat too much room was provided for the entry of thin slugs infront of thevlever face 22 and-not enough room for entry of the thickest slugs. In the present disclosure, this condition is corrected since thestopping of the inem-` ber 24 against the member L reduces the entry space for thin slugs, while the increased slant of the lever face provided by the member 24 increases the mouth of the entry space for slugs of'maximum thickness. A slug having been delivered to the galley, the slug lever is pulled to the left by its spring U, and as theflower'end ofthe movable lface 24 .strikes the newly-deposited slug, the

member 24 is Athereby caused to rock aboutv with the retaining wall r28thus leaving the slug in a correspondnig'position and providingample room for the entry of aA following slug. (See F ig. 2.) A yThe slug shown in dotted lines inthe galley ofig. 2 may be supposed to have been displaced manually to show lthe position it might retain in the absence of the improved sluglever. In its dotted-line position it would interfere with entry into thegalley ofthe slug'shown in front of the ejector blade. I f it were a longer slug andits upper end had failed to pass the lower end of the inner chute-wall K .because of .a ,leaded condition of the chute, the consequence would be a bending of the slug from the impact of the upper end'of the slug lever.

When short slugs are being produced, 1t is customary to employ a galley-dividing bar 28 (Figs. 6 and l2) which stops the slugs midway of the width of the galley. In orderY that such a bar may be employed in connection with the improved slug-accumulator described above, I`providev the movable-face member 24with a ,clearance-opening 29 to accommodate the end of the slug-stopping bar 28.A The end of the barV is made of reduced size to suit the clearance, the 'object being Vattained by providing a tongue 30 hinged in a block 31 rigidly secured in the angle of the'dividing bar- In lorderthat the tongue 30 may extend across the path of the incoming slugs, the slug-leveris provided with aclearancerecess 32 toraccommodate the end of the tongue 30. In order that the movable face 24 maybe actuated to keep the short slugs parallel with the retainingrwall,

the friction slide P which isemployed iny connection with longI slugs is .left in its nor,-4 mal starting position Vand isl vthere 'held against the shoulder ofthe afore-describ'ed by means of a button-latch 34. Asthus .con- Y structedthe dividing bar and upper slide P1 maybe placed and removed without disturbf ing the lower slide P, which remainsin posi- Vtion for use in connectiony with long slugs.

However, with theu'present improvementl in use, short slugs may also be accumulated .in the lower position on the galley, since.

the continuous lubrication of their channel and .the ideal slant of .the slug-lever face -overcomes the conditions which .have

heretofore madeV the use of the dividing bar necessary. vSuch Vbeing the case, I provide Vfor doubling the.l *Y capacity Yo-f the galley when short slugs are being cast; For this purpose, the tongueBO is hinged in a I recess 50 of the block 81 and clears through aslot 51 in the end of the dividing bar- 28. Assuming that theupper division of the gal- Vley haslbeen lir'st filled-with slugs, the lower frictionslide l? is moved to clear the block 3l andslugs equaling in thickness theblock 3l are then removed from their positionon .Y the tongue-30 and placed in, theposition vacated'by the lowerv friction slide l?.v The tongue 30 may then be swung'upas shown in dotted -lineslin fFig. 7, and thereafter slugs willA slide to the lowerposition onthe galley, and the galley contents need not be dumped until both positions 'i are filled or. until .the work in hand is finished if it totals less than two full galley lengths.

lLIer-etofore the friction slides P-Pl have been permitted to drop fronithefendsof the galley when the galley is nearly filledV with V slugs, Athus notifying the .keyboard operator A to guard against overilling the galley and so causing slugs to spill vfrom the left end thereof. A..positive stop for the slugs has been avoided since crowding the slugs against suchafsto'p would jeopardize thesecurity-of the Vgalley yonits brackets, the gali ley being held merely by a'flush stud 52 inthe left-hand bracket Q, so that thegalleymay be quicklyV placed and removed. Owing to an endwise slant of the galleyfintended toV cause the slugs to-lean against the retaining wall P, thereY is liability-of slugs dropping from the end of the galley with the slide 13,101'A thereafter ifan operator misjudges the re# maining space at the end of the galley or inadvertently presses the-column of slugs from the right-'hand end thereof. To remedy this condition, Iprovideas follows: F or the upper division ofthe galley, Vthe vdividing bar28 carries a slide-rod 53 held in theangle Vof the bar bymeansiof a fixed block 54. The 3 'las , lilo rodhasa shoulder 55 to limit its movement to the left. This shoulder alsoresults in an offset which prevents the rod from turning in one direction, and in the opposite direction a similar purpose is served by an angular right end 56on the rod. At its left end the rod is provided with a return bend 57 for engagement with an eye 58 shaped from the friction'spring 59 which holds the slide P1 on the slug-supporting bar. As the friction slide P1 is advanced toward the leftV end of the galley, the eye58 engages the return bend 5'? and causes the `slide-rod 53 to move from its position in Fig. 6 to its. position in Fig. 12. f lVhen the slide P1 has cleared the end of the galley, it will drop and lbe stopped against the lower portion of the lslide-rod as shown inconnection with the lower slide P in Fig. 12. This dropping of. the slides P---P1 will serve to notify an'operator that the galley is entirely filled, and the galley` having been dumped, movement of the slide P or P1 back toits starting position will cause the slide-rod to bek returned by reason of contact of the eye 58 with the-angular end 56 of the slide-rod. y. In connection withthe lower division of the galley, the slide rod 60 rests in the clearance resulting from the corner bead 61 of the galley, and a slot 62vthrough the bead 61 permits the angleportion of the sliderod to be positioned outside the galley.

` Movement of the slide rod to the left is liml.enough to remain in consta-nt engagement,

ited by contact of the anglel 63 withV the end of the slot 62. The slide-,rod is'kept from turning by means of a keeper wire 64k-secured inthe bead61, the angularend of the slide-rod fitting between thevkeeper wire and the flange 66 of the galley. The keeper wire may be dispensed with if therreturn bend 67 (Fig. 12) of the slide-rod is made long with the eye 58. In use, both theupper 53 and lower 60 slide-rods function alikeand as described. 'Ihe slide-rods are stopped in their movement to the left when the friction slides P--P1 have just cleared the galley, `hence the galley may be entirely filled withouty risk of the slugs spilling therefrom.

Having described my'invention, its con-` Ving said-spring plate in advance of said ejector blade.

2. A. combination as specifiedin claim 1,

characterizedby the fact thatthe-grooves in the recited spring plate decrease in depth from front to rear ends, thereof.

8. A- combination as specified in claim 1, characterized bythe fact that the grooves in the recited spring-plate are cut through said plate at the front edge thereof to form alternating tongues and notches, said tongues besaid knife, and the spring plate for guiding the slugs away from said `knife, alternating tongues andv notchesin the front edge of said spring plate, said tongues being capable of entering between the ribs of the slugs an said notches permitting such entry. j v

5. In a slug-casting macliine, in combination with the horizontal slug-delivery channel, the slug chute leading fromsaid chan- ,f

nel, the slug-'receivinggalley to which said chute leads', and a floor for said chute a side wall for said chute `having in connection therewith means for holding a lubricant, lsaid 'side walland said iloorbeing relatively movablefor the purpose of lubricating said floor Yfrom said lubricant-holding means.

6. A combination as specified in claim 5,

including also means for'impartingrelative movement to the recited chute oor and side wall automatically 'from Va periodically-actuated machine element.

7 In a slug-casting machine, in combinationfwith the horizontal slug-delivery channel, the slug chute leading from said channel, and the slug-receiving galley to which said chute leads, a sidewall and a movable floor'for said chute, said side wall having lubricant-holding means in connection therewith, and said floor being movable beneath said sidewall to receive lubrication therefrom.

8. A combination as recited in claim 7 including also means for imparting-movement to the recited chute licor from a periodicallyactuated machine element.y

9. In a slug-casting machine, in combination with the horizontal slug-delivery channel, the slug chute leading'froni said channel and the slug-receiving galley to which said chute leads,`a floor and a movable side wall for said chute, said flooiextending beneath said side wall, andcsaid side wall'hav- `ing lubricant-holding means in 'connection' therewith andin contact with said floor,

whereby movement of said-wall will cause said floor to lbe lubricated.

10. A combination as specified in claim including also means for imparting movement'to the yrecited movable wall from a yperiodically-actuated machineI element. Inxavslug-casting machine, in combination with the horizontal slug-delivery channel, the slug chute leading therefrom, the slug-receiving galley to which said chute leads, a floor for said chute and a side wall therefor, means whereby said side wall may be raised and lowered at will in order to provide access to said loor for cleaning and polishing purposes.

12. In a slug-casting machine, in combination with the slug-receiving galley, the friction slug-retaining wall thereon, and the slug lever for moving the slugstowards and with said retaining wall, a fulcrumed plate on the face of said slug lever and extending across the length thereof opposite said retaining wall, said plate when inactive being slanted relative to said retaining wall, and being capable of rocking about its fulcrum point to a position parallel with said retaining wall when its lower end contacts a slug newly received in said galley, thereby causing said newly-received slug to be deposited parallel with said retaining wall.

13. A combinationv as specified in claim 12, characterized by the :tact that Jche recited fulcrumed plate has an opening therethrough, that the face of the recited slug lever has a recess inv register with said opening, and including a galley-dividin bar having an end Y tongue clearing througi said opening and into said recess, for stopping short slugs in positionrto be advanced on said galley dividing bar against a friction slug-retainingwall thereon, and means locked to the galley against which means the lower end ot the ulcrumed plate may striketo cause the upper end thereorn to move parallel with the retaining wall on said dividing bar, thereby causing short slugs to be deposited parallel with said retaining wall.

14. In a slug-casting machine, in combination with the slug-delivery chute, the adjustable side wall thereof, the slug-receiving galley, and the slug lever for advancing slugs in said galley, a ulcrumed plate on the slugadvancing face of said slm lever, said plate overreaching the end of said adjustable wall and being stopped thereby at diierent angles according to the adjustment of said wall, thus varying the angularity of said plate according to the thickness of slugs being delivered through said chute to said galley.

15. In a slug-casting machine, in combination with the slug-receiving galley and the galley-dividing bar thereon, means whereby the slug-stopping end of said bar may be moved to permit the slugs to pass beyond said bar to a lower slug-receiving position.

16. In a slug-casting machine, in combination with the slug-receiving galley and the slug-retaining slide thereon, means whereby the slug-retaining slide may clear the end of the galley-floor and drop therefrom while remalning attached to the galley in a position K ll() 

